Recalling the 2019 World Cup final, former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has said that they had been lucky to reach that position. In a recent podcast, McCullum said, “I know they (New Zealand team) got very close last year in the World Cup, but I did feel they were a little bit lucky there as well to actually get themselves in that situation.”

In the dramatic final of 2019 ODI World Cup, New Zealand had lost to England despite the score being tied at 241. In the super over that followed, both teams ended up scoring 15, a tie again. In the end the boundary count was taken into consideration to declare the winner.

McCullum, who is coaching the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL), thinks the New Zealand team under Kane Williamson’s leadership has the potential to do something really special.

He said that it is time for them to put a “real line in the sand” and move beyond the past excuses. He said Williamson is a “fantastic embodiment” of being a Kiwi and has the strength of a wonderful team behind him. He hopes in the near future team New Zealand will realise its potential.

McCullum had led New Zealand in the 2015 ODI World Cup, which was co-hosted by them along with Australia. He had a fantastic tournament with the bat, in which he created the record of scoring the fastest half century (51 off 18 balls) in a World Cup match. Under his leadership the team reached the final of the tournament for the first time in history, but lost to Australia in the end.

In March 2016, Kane Williamson took charge of captaincy after McCullum announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket. He was awarded the Player of the Tournament in the 2019 World Cup. Under his leadership, New Zealand was named “Team of the Tournament” by the ICC.

The next ODI World Cup will be played in India in 2023. By then we hope the effects of coronavirus will be gone and we can have a great tournament in stadiums full of fans.

• 2019 ODI World Cup Final
• brendon mccullum
• lord's
• new zealand cricket